America’s Got Talent: These acts were for all the marbles…

Then why watch, you ask? I feel as though people have been judging me for writing about a show that I don’t really care for. Or maybe I’m just judging me for writing about a show that I don’t really care for. Regardless, this is why I’ve stuck it out: commitment. I’m not a quitter! I said I’d watch this show this summer and I have. And it hasn’t been all bad. AGT and I, we’ve had some good times. I just think the structure of their show is flawed, and far too lengthy. But I’ve learned my lesson, and I probably won’t blog about it regularly next summer. I’ll just catch it when it’s on and watch the last two episodes to see what they came up with for the ten best acts.

Thank goodness, the show on Tuesday was only an hour. As it was, there were a plethora of flashbacks. Like, for reals AGT? I saw most of these clips last week, I do not need a reminder. Though I guess if I were smart and had only tuned into the final episode rather than enduring the whole summer, those clips would have been rather helpful. Coming into Tuesday night’s episode I was favoring Prince Poppycock, but Fighting Gravity had a chance to overtake them as my pick for winner. Let’s look at the four performances:

Prince Poppycock
Poppycock’s final performance didn’t disappoint. His costuming and sets were outstanding, and his singing was impeccable. Sure, it wasn’t as cool as Bohemian Rhapsody because I know Bohemian Rhapsody. But that’s kind of what’s great about Prince Poppycock – the variety of his performances. So on that note, who the hell does Pier Morgan think he is buzzing someone on finale? In a word – RUUUUUUDE.

**Sidenote: How fantastic did Lauren Graham look in the audience? And Mae Whitman was adorable in her hipster glasses. Frankly, America’s Got Talent was just something to sit through while waiting for Parenthood to come on.

Michael Grimm
I like Michael Grimm a lot. In fact, of all the performers he’s the one I can see having the most successful career. But in terms of a talent contest, his act was just so mellow compared to his competition that it was hard for him to measure up. His performance was great, but I don’t think it’s on the same level as the other three acts. This is one of the difficulties with America’s Got Talent – how do you compare opera singers, soul singers, and guys who dance around in the dark wearing glow-in-the-dark suits? That’s like comparing apples, oranges and…daffodils!

Jackie Evancho
So, this kid is super talented, right? The thing is, I also find her really boring. I can’t help it. I hate opera. I hated seeing Phantom of the Opera as a kid. As a teenager I saw an opera about swans with my orchestra class, and in the middle of it I accidentally said out loud “I hate swans. A swan bit me once.” (I can’t help it, I have a habit of saying things out loud that were meant to be said in my head.) So although I recognize that Jackie is unbelievably talented, and I will be totally fine if she wins, I cannot root for her.

**Sidenote: I really liked that performance featuring some of the performers from the top ten. And it reinforced my belief that it would have been better to spend more episodes on performances from the final ten acts and less episodes on early episodes with weaker acts.

Fighting Gravity
Fighting Gravity was a close second behind Prince Poppycock coming into this episode, so it really came down to the final performances for each act. Prince Poppycock hadn’t disappointed me, but he hadn’t blown me completely away either. Fighting Gravity had a chance to impress me, and impress me they did. It was a great performance. But was it enough?

After giving it some thought, I’m predicting that either Fighting Gravity will win. But honestly, I have NO idea – I also think it could be Jackie Evancho, since America loves talented, pretty blonde children. Personally, though, I want to see Prince Poppycock win. Everything about his act is so original, so captivating, and so intricate. There are so many aspects to his performances – singing ability, showmanship, appearance, sets. I think he’s the best overall performer we’ve seen this season.

Who are you rooting for? And who do you think will win?